✓ | 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 ( 𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀. )

FOURTEEN.

Once he was no longer glaring at her, Isadora suddenly released an unrestrained huff, slouching her back as her good girl facade diminished right before my eyes. As if somehow, she had transformed from the girl next door into the rebellious teen.

This obviously wasn't the same Smackle I had befriended in middle school at the school debate. She was John Quincy Adams' finest, they used to say. Clearly, moving to Abigail Adams had changed her. It had changed all of us.

Today was the first time I had actually seen her since the end of middle school. That I remembered, anyway. Maybe I had come across her fleeting figure in the hallways once or twice, but if I did, I had no recollection of it. Perhaps Lucas was right all those weeks ago when he told me I was too enveloped in my own bubble of popularity to notice anybody else.

I hadn't realised I had been staring at her the entire time, her head turning towards me as her piercing brown eyes shot straight at me through her foggy glasses. "Is there a problem?" she slyly questioned, cockily raising her eyebrow in anticipation.

"Smackle─"

She immediately glared at me. "Don't call me Smackle. I go by Isadora, now." As if like a sudden switch, her glare was replaced by a soft smile, though arrogance was still clear behind her calming eyes.

I paused thoughtfully. "Well you've certainly changed, Smackle," I finally responded, forced nonchalance in my voice as I ignored her name request. I hoped she hadn't noticed that.

She lightly scoffed, shaking her head in undeniable amusement. "We all can't stay the same forever, Riley. If anything, you've changed." I defiantly opened my mouth to object, but Smackle had already beaten me to it. "You might think you haven't changed, but you have. I'm an observer of people and you just happen to be one of them. Which, by the way, I've been meaning to ask, how does it feel to be going after your best friend's boyfriend?" Her voice was calm and yet soaked in a crude, venomous tone.

I shot a glare towards her, a snarky growl leaving my throat as my eyes narrowed immensely. "What? Lucas? We're just friends. What exactly would you be accusing me of, Smackle?"

She slightly flinched, annoyed that I was still referring to her as Smackle. I smiled internally.

Though, I couldn't soak in the satisfaction for long. She shrugged carelessly, suddenly grinning with arrogance. I must admit, she was extremely talented at somehow exerting dominance through her nonchalant movements. I felt a chill run down my bare arm as I glanced at my fumbled fingers.

I was best friend's with the most popular girl in school and yet I afraid of Isadora Smackle. The girl who used to come to school with two braids in her hair and a glasses as round as her face. The girl who was our middle school friend until high school came along and cheerleaders like us could no longer speak to losers like her, as a senior had once told me. And the girl who used to be so in love with Farkle Minkus until one day in the tenth grade she wasn't anymore. Just like that.

"Don't act stupid around me. Especially when we're both well aware of how smart you actually are, despite what you let others think," she uttered. I didn't think it was possible to insult and compliment someone in one single sentence, but Smackle was proving to break all sorts of standards these days. She thoughtfully bit her bottom lip before adding, "Oh, and if you call me Smackle one more time, I will not hesitate to smack you."